By the time you have finished reading
this page - you will know how to work
out in your head, that a £12 double on a 4/7 and 10/11 returns £36

1. God Bless Settling Machines & Calculators

Settling machines and calculators mmmm..... marvellous things that have
got me through many busy afternoons. If Kids can use them at school, why can't we?
To calculate the returns from any single on a calculator:
Assuming the odds are 7/4 and the stake is £6
7 divided by 4 plus 1 = 2.75, multiply the 2.75 by 6 and hey presto your
return is £16.50The plus one is the important bit - miss that off and the bookie
keeps your stake! All you calculate is the winnings i.e. £10.50 (1.75 x 6)
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2. I Can Only Do Singles!

Any bet is just a single or a series of singles. For example a
double is your stake invested on the first selection as a single, then the
returns from that invested as a single on the second selection.
A treble would have needed a third single etc. etc.
If you can work out a single you can work out any bet!
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3. How Many Doubles In 4 Selections?

Dead Easy! Using a simple formula:

(Number of Selections) Multiplied By (Number of Selections Minus One)Answer of the above Divided By
(Number of Selections In Bet) Multiplied By (Number of Selections In Bet Minus One)

Now for Trebles.....
A Double is 2 selections, for each additional selection in a bet, an extra
calculation is required.
With doubles the formula is 4 x 3 divided by 2 x 1
With trebles the formula is 4 x 3 x 2 divided by 3 x 2 x 1
How many trebles in four selections:

4 x
3 x 2
24
---------------- =
---- = 4 trebles
3
x 2 x
1
6

You may have noticed that with doubles the bottom part of the bet is always 2 ( 2 x 1)

and with trebles the bottom part of the bet is always 6 (3 x 2 x 1)

With a fourfold the bottom of the bet is 24 (4 x 3 x 2 x 1), etc.

So now you can stake and settle a Yankee!
Knowing that with four selections:
There is one fourfold, 4 trebles and 6 doubles which equals 11 bets
and each part of the bet can be broken down in to singles

Pity! The return is not as much, as half your stake is lost, but it's still better
than a loser! Simply convert the returned price to a dead heated price.

For example a 3/1 Dead Heat is the same as an Even Money winner
This is logical as if you stake £1 on a 3/1, half your stake is lost i.e. 50p,
but the other half goes on the 3/1 winner to return £2
Or put another way.... £1 on the Even Money = £2
Think of a 2/1 as 2 over 1, so 2 = the top of the price and 1 = equals the bottom
of the price. This is how to convert a price:

(Top of Price) = (Top of Price Added to Bottom of Price Minus The Figure Below)

(Bottom of Price) = (Bottom of Price Multiplied By Number of Dead Heaters)

For our 3/1 it reads:
3
2 over becomes
over
1
2

NB You must calculate the bottom of the new price first, 1 (bottom of price) x 2
(no. of dead heaters). Then You can calculate the top ( 3 + 1 = 4, 4 - 2 = 2)

An alternative method for a dead heat, is to knock one of the decimal price and divide this by 2.
Decimal 7/1 is 7. Then minus 1 = 6, then divide by 2 = 3, so this is 3/1.
Decimal 6/1 is 6. Then minus 1 = 5, then divide by 2 = 2.5, so this is 2.5 to 1, which is 5/2

Each Way bets involving Dead Heats
The stake is multiplied by:number of places paid divided by number of dead heaters
then applied at the full odds.

For example:
You have £1 each way on a golfer at 20/1, 1/4 odds 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5
There is a winner, second & third, then your selection finishes in a four way tie for fourth.
Your £1 stake is multiplied by:
2 ( places paid are 4th & 5th) divided by 4 ( four players in the tie)
so your £1 stake drops to 50p....£1 x (2/4) = £1 x 1/2 = £1 x 0.5 = 50p
The stake is then applied at the full odds of 20/1 @ 1/4 = 20/4 = 5/1 so the return is £3
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5. I Had The Favourite But It Was Returned As Joint Favourite!

The same principle can be applied to converting prices on unnamed favourites, as on
dead heaters.
For example
If you have £1 on an favourite that wins at 8/1 co fav of 4
It converts as:
8
5 over becomes
over
1
4
Again this can be checked by remembering that with 4 co favs, 75p of your stake is
lost (25p on each of the 4 but only one won), just 25p goes on the 8/1 that actually won
Therefore 25p at 8/1 = £2.25
Or put another way £1 at 5/4 = £2.25

NB. The alternative method for dead heats, needs changing for
the number of co favourites. If there are 4 co favs, instead of knocking 1 of the decimal price you
must knock 3 (always the number of co favs -1). Then instead of dividing by 2, divide
by 4 (always number of co favs).
For our example above this gives:
Decimal 8/1 is 8. Then minus 3 = 5, then divide by 4 = 1.25, so this is 1.25 to 1,
which is 5/4.Top

6. The Dreaded Rule 4!

When a runner is withdrawn a deduction is made from your winnings, to take account of
the fact that, had the bookmaker known the withdrawn horse was not going to run, then
your horse would would have been a shorter price.
But you can work it out! Using this formula:

However many selections you have in a bet with a rule 4, convert the original
price to that with a rule deducted, then calculate the bet in the usual way on
the new prices..
The Full Table of Rule 4 DeductionsTop

7. "They Were Both Second, It Must be More Than That!"

How many times have I heard that one?
Settling win to win and place to place each way bets is simple.
All you have to do is remember that the two parts
of the bet are distinctly separate, one is win and one is place
For Example:
£1 each way single on a 5/1 winner at 1/5 the odds a place 1,2,3 is:
Win Part: £1 at 5/1 returns £6
Place Part £1 at 5/5 returns £2 - giving a total of £8

Note that the 5 from the place odds of 1/5,
becomes the new bottom part of the place odds, making a 5/1 become a 5/5

If the price was 5/1 at 1/4 the odds a place 1,2,3 the return is:
Win Part: £1 at 5/1 returns £6
Place Part £1 at 5/4 returns £2.25 - giving a total of £8.25

Some punters seem to think that as their selection was second, they should get more than
their friend who backed the third - but that just doesn't happen - the place part is
the same for the 2nd or 3rd
(OK ....it is different in the USA, but let us keep it simple!)

So how do we settle a double on 2 winners? Easy!
After all, we now know a double is made up of '2 singles'
Remember, the win and place bets are separate!
Using the same 2 prices above 5/1 at 1/5 1,2,3 and 5/1 at 1/4 1,2,3
Win Part: £1 double 5/1 and 5/1 returns £36
Place Part: £1 double 5/5 and 5/4 returns £4.50
Giving a total return of £40.50

If one selection wins and one selection is second, the win double is a loser
and returns nothing, while the place double is successful and still returns £4.50
If both selections are just placed the bet returns the same £4.50
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8. Each Way All Each Way

Most major bookmakers settle bets by default as 'win to win and place to place'.
However, if you write 'each way all each way' or 'equally divided' on your slip, this is
what you get.
Some punters always take this option.
As a general rule, depending on prices, if you have a mixture of winners and places
in your bet, your returns are greater with 'each way all each way'. On the
otherhand if all your selections win, you are better with 'win to win and place to place'.
Smaller independent may have 'each way all each way' as their default rule.
With these bookmakers, if you want 'win to win and place to place' you
must write it on the slip.
Always read the rules if your are betting 'away from home'. Smaller bookmakers
adopt this rule because should a punter have an acculmulator with every selection
winning, the payout would be less than 'win to win and place to place' as a larger
part of the stake is invested on just the place part of the bet.

For example, take the bet above:
£1 each way 5/1 at 1/5 1,2,3 and 5/1 at 1/4 1,2,3
We know that with 'win to win and place to place' if both win the returns are £40.50
With the same selections in a £1 'each way all each way' double the return is only
£33.

The win and place bets are no longer separate bets, any returns are invested
equally on the win and the place.
The initial £1 each way is invested on the 5/1 at 1/5 1,2,3 and returns £8 ( 6 + 2 ).
This £8 is then equally divided for the win and place bets on the second selection.
Therefore, £4 is place on the win at 5/1 and £4 on the place at 5/4
( 5 / 1 at 1/4 - 1,2,3 = 5/4). This £4 place bet, returns £9, giving a total
return of £33 ( 24 + 9 ).

As both selections won the return is lower - but what if there had been a mixture
of winners and places? i.e. the 5/1 at 1/5 1,2,3 won - but the 5/1 at 1/4 1,2,3 was
only placed. We know from above that the 'win to win and place to place' would return
£4.50
However, with 'each way all each way' the return is £9 - twice as much!
As above the initial £1 each way at 5/1 at 1/5 1,2,3 returns £8 ( 6 + 2 ) as that
selection won - but as the stake is divided on the second selection as £4 win (lost)
and £4 place on a 5/1 at 1/4 1,2,3 placed to give £9.

What if both selections were only placed?
The initial £1 each way on the 5/1 at 1/5 returns £2
This £2 is then split as £1 each way on the 5/1 at 1/4, the return is £2.25
So with 2 places the double returns £2.25 'each way all each way', which is only
half of the £4.50 from the 'win to win and place to place'. This demonstrates
how 'each way all each way' is only better with a mixture of winners and places.
So as Clint Eastwood (Dirty Harry) would say
"You have to ask yourself a question.... do I feel lucky?.....Well Do Ya?".
Although the
bookmaker may not have a 357 Magnum pointed at your head, your choice could cost
a lot of money!

I know of one punter who always had a £1 each way accumulator, every Saturday on
4 selections. Whenever he collected anything, it was always with a mixture of
winners and places. He asked himself 'the question' and the following week
he changed his bet to 'each way all each way' - you guessed it! All 4 of
his selections won and he collected over £500. The only trouble was, had he stuck
to 'win to win and place to place' he would have collected over £1200! Of course
it would have been different with 2 winners and two places.

One easy solution, to ease your troubled mind, is to split your stake.
Why not do 2 x 50p each way doubles?
One 'each way all each way' and the other 'win to win and place to place'.
This way you get the best of both worlds and the bookie has to work harder
for his money, having two bets to settle instead of one!
Of course the prices of your selections are important. If you have
short priced selections in your bet, 'each way all each way' returns are
very low, as too much is invested on the place part.
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9. Settling Short Cuts

It is not always necessary to get the calculator out. Whenever you are settling
a winning bet, or comparing bookmakers odds for the best value before a bet is placed,
always look for easy options. Do not always start with the price of the first
selection, play about with the order.
For Example a £5 treble, at 4/7, 8/11 and 2/5, may have your hand already reaching
for the calculator. Does £5 at 4/7 look a bit too much like hard work?
What about £5 at 2/5? This obviously returns £7
But £7 at 8/11 may have your calculator finger poised again, no worries - £7 at
4/7 returns £11 - and hang on a minute - that leaves £11 on the 8/11 to return
£19. Your calculator battery has just been saved a pounding.
OK, that example was nice and easy - if it had been 40/85, 8/13 and 4/11 - I would
be pressing buttons. But look for short cuts.
In the example at the Top of the page. £12 at 4/7 and 10/11
returns £36 pound. This is because £7 at 4/7 returns £11, then £11 at 10/11
returns £21 - leap of faith coming.... - so if £7 gets £21 that's the same as 2/1,
so £12 at 2/1 returns £36.
Therefore 4/7 & 10/11 is the same as 2/1
So is 4/5 and 4/6 ( 6 at 4/6 gets 10 at 4/5, returns 18, 18 for 6 = 2/1)
There are lots more out there.
1/2 and 1/3 = even money
1/3, 1/4 & 1/5 = even money
You don't have to be exact, to have a quick idea of your returns
Slightly altering the last example to 2/7, 2/7 and 1/5 returns almost the same.
As 2/7 is between 1/3 and 1/4, 2 x 2/7 is practically the same as a 1/3 & 1/4.
One is as low as the other is high. For a £10 stake 1/3, 1/4 & 1/5 returns £20,
2/7, 2/7 and 1/5 returns £19.65, very similar! But if you do take a few
liberties with the prices, if you always round them to a better figure, remember
your bookmaker's return may not be quite as generous

It is often easy to work the bet out to a certain
figure then apply the return as odds to your actual stake.
Say a £10 on double 8/13 and 9/4. Using £4 at 9/4 returns 13, then £13 at 8/13 returns
£21. As the return is roughly £21 for a stake of £4, that is just over 4/1. Therefore
the return for a stake of £10 will be £50+.
When comparing bookmakers prices, particularly on football, always remember to ignore
prices that are the same.
For example:
Hills may go 1/3, 4/9, 1/4 & 4/7
Ladbrokes may go 1/3, 2/5, 1/4 & 4/7
Obviously we can ignore the 1/3, 1/4 & 4/7 in both bets. So Hills would pay the most
in this case, as 4/9 is better then 2/5.
( 4 divided by 9 = 1.44, which is better than 2 divided by 5 = 1.4 )

If the screen is beginning to blur and you are reaching for the paracetamol,
don't worry there is always Bet Settler